--- title: "Jeffrey C. Clapper | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-c-clapper-sd-trial" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Jeffrey C. Clapper South Dakota Circuit Court · Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: South Dakota Circuit Court - State: South Dakota - Role: Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Litigation Counsel, U.S. Attorney's Office, 2024 - Circuit judge for the Second Judicial Circuit of South Dakota, appointed by Governor Kristi Noem in 2024, with a career spanning over two decades as a federal prosecutor and prior private legal practice - Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota, from 2002 - Private practice, Moore, Rasmussen, Kading & Kunstle - Began practice at Moore, Rasmussen, Kading & Kunstle in Sioux Falls ### Education ### Additional information - In 2024 he was designated senior litigation counsel. - Jeffrey C. Clapper was announced as Governor Kristi Noem’s appointee to South Dakota’s Second Judicial Circuit on July 30, 2024. - He became an assistant United States attorney in 2002, prosecuting bank robberies, fraud, violent crime and sexual assault in Indian Country; for roughly fifteen years before appointment his work focused on online child exploitation and trafficking. - He graduated from Creighton University in 1989 and the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1993. - Private practice, Boyce Murphy and related firms - handling criminal defense and civil litigation, then worked at Boyce, Murphy, McDowell & Greenfield. - C; r; e; i; g; h; t; o; n; - U; n; i; v; e; r; s; i; t; y;,;; u; n; d; e; r; g; r; a; d; u; a; t; e;; d; e; g; r; e; e;,;; 1; 9; 8; 9 - U; n; i; v; e; r; s; i; t; y;; o; f; - S; o; u; t; h; - D; a; k; o; t; a; - S; c; h; o; o; l;; o; f; - L; a; w;,; - J;. - D;.;,;; 1; 9; 9; 3 ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic devices and media Scope: statewide South Dakota's published statewide guidance permits expanded media coverage in circuit and magistrate proceedings only when the parties and court agree, and the court may modify the coverage at any time. Evidence excerpt: Expanded media coverage (audio, video and still photos) is allowed when the parties of the case and the court all agree that such coverage should be permitted. [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [Official roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/court-finder/second-judicial-circuit/circuit-contacts-second-judicial-circuit/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [New Circuit Court Judge to be Sworn into Office in Sioux Falls](https://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/new-circuit-court-judge-to-be-sworn-into-office-in-sioux-falls/) - [New Circuit Court Judge to be Sworn into Office in Sioux Falls](https://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/new-circuit-court-judge-to-be-sworn-into-office-in-sioux-falls/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [New Circuit Court Judge to be Sworn into Office in Sioux Falls](https://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/new-circuit-court-judge-to-be-sworn-into-office-in-sioux-falls/) - [news.sd.gov](https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=c2dfbddc97bf06107fc1b480f053afdb) - [prabook.com](https://prabook.com/web/jeffrey_c.clapper/3017628) - [www.linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-clapper-38b43912) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [New Circuit Court Judge to be Sworn into Office in Sioux Falls](https://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/new-circuit-court-judge-to-be-sworn-into-office-in-sioux-falls/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-c-clapper-sd-trial", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jeffrey-c-clapper-sd-trial", "name": "Jeffrey C. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/). Collected 2026-07-27.